


Why You Don't Mess With Furihata Kouki

by Lady_Sephia



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: F/M, I think that covers everything, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, angst/hurt/comfort/fluff, descriptions of injuries as well, first ao3 post, first chapter fic, hospitalization and recovery, some characters might be kinda ooc, there are some side pairings but nothing really in-depth, though I'm sure I've probably forgotten something
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-06
Updated: 2015-03-06
Packaged: 2018-03-16 15:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3492722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Sephia/pseuds/Lady_Sephia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Furihata turns up severely beaten to a large street ball game that he helped arrange with members of Serin, the GoM and their partners, it's decided that they should let others know that it's not a good idea as well as learn that maybe the coward isn't so much of a coward after all.</p><p>On Hiatus</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This little fic was inspired by a conversation with someone on tumblr and my story has also been cross-posted there at my blog under the same name :3
> 
> Updates are kind of sporadic, so I'll ask that you bear with me, it's my first long fic and the ideas sometimes take a bit to pop up.
> 
> Really short first chapter, but they do get longer.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it!

'Thoughts'

"Talking"

 

 

Furi was late. They had all agreed to a street ball game at one of the local courts, but the one who actually brought up the idea had yet to arrive and everyone was starting to get worried. One of the quietest after Mitobe but also one of the gentlest people any of them had ever met, Furi was normally early when get togethers were planned, or would call if he would be delayed but now he was well over an hour late and no one, not even Akashi; who was surprisingly the closest to him, had heard from him. What they didn't know at the time however, was that as soon as Furi arrived basketball would be the last thing on any of their minds...

Furi was aching everywhere and he looked horrible. His jacket was ripped as well as his shirt, he couldn't see out of his right eye and he had a gash on his temple. His nose was bleeding, and his lip was split; it hurt to breathe so he was pretty sure his ribs were at the very least bruised if not possibly broken and his stomach hurt so much he felt like he was going to be sick. His legs were covered in large purple bruises, he was limping while he walked and lastly his left arm was lying loose at his side because it hurt too much to try to move it. His only consolation to being in this much pain was that he was finally almost at the courts where everyone was waiting.

'They're all going to freak completely when they see me...' he thought, but at this point was in too much pain to even care. Stopping at the entrance to the basketball court he was able to quickly check on everyone's mood, and what he saw shocked him.

Kagami and Aomine were pacing, looking very much like two confined wild cats wanting to break out of their cage with Momoi and Kuroko doing what they could to keep them from running off as well as checking their phones frequently. Kise and Kasamastu were with Midorima and Takao seemingly carrying on a normal conversation, but from how stiff Midorima was sitting, Takao's forced sounding humor at Kise who was talking a mile a minute and Kasamatsu playing with a basketball rather then kicking Kise for rambling, it was a good sign that things weren't normal. Last he spotted Himuro offering sweets to Murasakibara who oddly enough was not holding any snacks or eating. Kiyoshi-senpai was standing nearby watching the two players from Akita and glancing over his shoulder at Sei who was staring at the phone clutched tightly in his hand. Even from here Furi could see his left eye flickering between red and gold and without thinking called out.

“Sei...” his voice was only a croak, but it was enough to grab everyone's attention. All heads snapped his way, some so fast that he was surprised no one got whiplash. In any other situation he would've laughed at the look on all their faces, but the next thing he knew the ground was rushing up to meet him. The last thing he remembered before he hit was everyone shouting his name, then nothing but darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

At the sound of his name, as soft and as ragged as it was; Akashi's head snapped up, zeroing in on the person who called him, eyes filled with relief until he actually saw Kouki. At the sight of him his breath felt like it was forced from his body, taking in the sight of the other who looked like he had been through hell; he noticed everyone else staring as well. Everyone had a look of horror on their faces, but underneath that he saw anger, just as he himself felt. Who would do this? Why would they do this? Kouki was quiet, gentle, and he'd never hurt a soul, to see him like this was enough to get even the most unlikely person angry. Coming back to reality he noticed Kouki swaying before slowly beginning to fall forward, out of reflex he started running and shouted out his name just as the others were doing as well.

“Kouki!” “Furihata!” “Furihata-kun!” “Furihatacchi!” “Furi-chin!”

Aomine and Kagami, being closer then everyone else managed to catch him before he fell and was injured further. They gently laid him on the ground then backed away slightly so that there was room for everyone to come around, Midorima and Akashi both kneeling the closest on either side of him so they could assess the damage.

“Furi-kun..” whimpered Momoi as she walked over to join Midorima and Akashi. She knelt down and gently moved Furihata's head into her lap, being careful not to jostle him as she watched him be looked over.

“Multiple bruises on his legs, as well as his right ankle seems to be sprained and that's just the damage below his waist...” mumbled Midorima, shaking his head he looked over at Akashi.

“A black eye, split lip, bloody nose and a cut at his temple...I'm worried about a concussion but there's no way to tell unless he wakes up” Akashi said, once he caught Midorima's eyes.

“Akashi-kun, Midorin” Momoi called quietly “I think we need to get his jacket and shirt off, his breathing doesn't sound right and his shoulder doesn't look quite right either...”

At her words everyone drew in a sharp breath, then Kagami and Aomine were moving intending to head out of the courts only to find their progress stopped by a large hand on each of their shoulders.

“Where are you going?” Kiyoshi asked.

“Where do you think?!” “To find these guys and pay them back of course!” Kagami and Aomine shouted at the same time. Kiyoshi sighed and shook his head.

“That's not what you need to be doing right now” he said. He looked back over his shoulder noticing that Kasamatsu was now on the phone, probably calling an ambulance; and that Momoi was now standing with Himuro and Murasakibara. She had switched places with Kise who was helping Takao, Midorima and Akashi strip off Furihata's ruined clothes to take a look at the rest of the damage.

“Why the hell not?!” Aomine growled.

“We can't let whoever did this get away with it!” Shouted Kagami.

Hearing a soft sigh, Kiyoshi looked back at them in time to see Kuroko jab them both in the ribs. Letting go of their shoulders, the two power forwards doubled over and glared at Kuroko, who was staring back at them with his usual deadpan expression.

“Damnit Kuroko/Tetsu!” they both shouted. Kiyoshi had to bite back a smile at the three of them, even if this wasn't exactly the right time to be smiling. Before he could start to talk again, Kuroko beat him to it.

“Whoever did this is not going to get away with it, however Furihata-kun needs us first and we need him to wake up and tell us who did this to him before we can do anything” Kuroko said. The air around him suddenly turned a lot darker and the three of them backed away slightly.

“When we find out who did this, they will be taught that Furihata-kun is not to be touched by any violence” he said darkly.

Realizing that Kuroko was just as angry as they were, the other three nodded when they heard a commotion from where everyone else was gathered. Hurrying over they stopped, shocked and sickened when they finally got a good look at what was under Furi's clothes. His torso was covered in purple bruises though most focused on his ribs and abdomen, his shoulder was very obviously dislocated and they could see small bruises that looked like fingertips all over the area. Everyone was quiet before Midorima spoke up.

“Someone call an ambulance” he said, while blindly reaching for Takao's hand. At this point everyone needed someone solid to hold onto.

“Already done, they should be here in a few minutes” Kasamatsu said from where he was standing by Kise, who had his face buried in his stomach.

Sure enough they heard the sirens in the distance slowly getting closer. After the shock of seeing just how extensive the damage was to Furi everyone was leaning on one another. Kasamatsu was talking quietly to Kise trying to calm him down as much as he was trying to stay calm himself. Aomine, Momoi, Kagami and Kuroko where all gathered together supporting Momoi who was crying as much as supporting themselves. Murasakibara had sat down on the ground and pulled Himuro to him, burying his face in his neck while Himuro himself was hugging him and gently combing his fingers though his hair. Lastly Akashi, who was normally so composed even in the most difficult situations was leaning into Kiyoshi looking lost while Kiyoshi stood there, giving the support that Akashi needed, but his eyes were full of worry and never left Furihata's face.

Not long after the paramedics arrived and Kiyoshi and Kasamatsu filled them in, being the only ones who could manage to speak at the time. As they loaded up Furi into the ambulance they asked if anyone would be coming along and Kiyoshi mentioned that himself and Akashi would be going. Turning to look at the rest of them he gave them all a warm look.

“Furihata is strong, especially with support from all of us, he'll be fine. We'll meet you there and fill you in once you catch up” he said before climbing into the ambulance with the paramedics and Akashi who was now holding onto Furihata's right hand. Standing together watching the ambulance drive away all was quiet, a dark aura covering everyone there until one by one they spoke up.

“Why Furi-kun?” Asked Momoi.

“To get to the rest of us obviously” replied Midorima, pushing his glasses up his face.

“Well that wasn't very smart of them” said Takao with a smirk.

“I'll crush them” growled Murasakibara.

“Just make sure to leave some for the rest of us Atsushi” chided Himuro.

“They're going to regret choosing him” said Aomine.

“They're not going to know what hit them” Kagami said with a feral grin.

“We will have to make it known that Furihata-kun is off limits to any sort of violence or pain” said Kuroko.

“No one who touches our Furihatacchi will get away with it!” exclaimed Kise.

“Lets grab our things and get to the hospital so we can find these bastards and make them pay” said Kasamatsu, turning toward the benches where all their bags lay, basketball long forgotten.

Nodding their heads everyone headed toward the benches and gathered their things in silence, thoughts swirling in all their heads as to who would've done this, and why? As they left the court and made their way to the hospital though everyone was in agreement with one thing. Whoever did this was going down, and they were going down hard.


	3. Chapter 3

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

 

 

The ride to the hospital was quiet with the exception of the paramedics working around them. Akashi sat on Furihata's good side holding his hand, while Kiyoshi sat quietly beside him with his arm curled gently around his waist both giving and receiving the comfort they needed.

Soon enough they arrived at the hospital and were separated from Furi, as he was wheeled away to have all his injuries treated they were led to the waiting room and given paperwork to fill out. Between the two of them they managed most the details, all filled out in Akashi's neat writing before being left alone to wait to hear about Furi's condition. It was quiet for awhile, both lost to their thoughts but taking comfort from the other being with them.

Kiyoshi's thoughts were constantly flickering from one thing to another. Who would do this? Why pick Furihata? Why couldn't he have been there to help him? Furihata wasn't weak, he could be timid of course, but once he made up his mind nothing could stop him. He smiled fondly thinking of the time Furihata showed up to morning practice, flushed with a fever and said he was fine and it took the threat of tripled practice for a month before he would go home and rest. Furihata also cared a lot for his friends, enough that he learned how to properly give massages and how to tape properly just so he could help Riko during matches and at their street-ball games when they really got going. He made a good peacemaker as well, getting in between people (mainly Kagami and Aomine to give Kuroko and Momoi a break) before things got out of hand and if one was clearly in the wrong he would speak up and not let the other just brush it off until things had been settled. At that thought Kioyshi frowned.

'If someone had said something to him concerning us he would've stopped to hear out what they had to say or would've gone defensive if it wasn't good...that would explain how he got side tracked originally' he thought

'But those injuries were definitely caused by more then one person but who would he stop and listen to if it had anything to do with us?!' at the last thought he drew in a sharp breath.

There was one person who could easily get help to do something like this that Kiyoshi knew, but the question then would be why? The Winter Cup was over so he would have no reason to be after any of them.

'I can't assume anything until Furihata wakes up, I just hope he wakes up soon' he thought.

Kiyoshi was startled out of his thoughts by a sudden weight against his side, looking down he quickly realized that Akashi had given up on trying to sit straight. His shoulders were slouched and he was gazing forward blankly with his head resting against Kiyoshi's shoulder, seeing that he was quite comfortable he loosely wrapped his arm around Akashi's waist again and gently rested his head against the soft red hair while waiting for the doctor to arrive with news of Furi's condition.

While Kiyoshi made himself comfortable Akashi stared ahead blankly, the thoughts going through his head running a mile a minute.

'Who did this to Kouki? Was it aimed towards me? All of our friends? Was it just bad luck? No I can't see it being bad luck. Kouki is cautious and the injuries he sustained looked like they came from more then one person, I can't see him getting into a fight he can't win on purpose' his brow furrowed in thought.

'That rules out the bad luck, but then who would target him just to get back at me? Or any of the others? No one would really think to target him just because he associates us unless they knew us well...wait' Akashi stiffened up the minute he realized that there was someone who would target Furihata, with little to no provocation necessary. After all he had already attacked Kagami's brother in the past.

'I'll ask him when he wakes up, however if it was him he will not be getting off so easily this time' he thought darkly.

“....i-kun”

“...ashi-kun”

“Akashi-kun!”

Hearing his name called so close to his ear caused Akashi to jump up in surprise, looking around a bit wildly trying to get his bearings again he noticed that everyone else had arrived and were taking up the rest of the seats in the waiting room.

“The doctor's here” Kiyoshi murmured from beside him.

“Ah” he nodded before turning his attention to the doctor who was waiting to begin.

“You're all here for news of Furihata-kun correct?” asked the doctor.

“Yeah, can you tell us how he's doing?” Kasamatsu asked.

“He was in pretty rough shape when he was brought in, however he will only have to stay here a couple days. The overall recovery time however will be a fair bit longer.” consulting his clipboard he looked over a few things before continuing.

“His injuries from least to worst are as follows: the bruising will start fading in a few days, with the exception of some of the darker ones which will start fading within a week or so. The gash in his temple will clear up quickly as well since it wasn't very deep; he has no concussion luckily, and his lip is already healing. The black eye and the light sprain he received in his right ankle will take a couple weeks to heal, and he'll need some help getting around due to the ankle. The injuries that will take the longest to heal will be his ribs and shoulder, he is not allowed to do any sports for at least 6 weeks and he will need to wear a sling to keep from moving his shoulder too often. We'll get him to come in for a check-up every 2 weeks up until that point and will go from there. Any questions?” the doctor asked looking up from his notes.

“When can we see him?” Takao asked from where he was sitting in front of Midorima, leaning against his legs.

“You can go see him now if you wish, he's awake and was asking for you all” the doctor responded with a smile.

After giving them the directions to Furihata's room the doctor left. It was completely silent for a moment before they all rushed to the door and down the hall. Arriving at the room with the nameplate “Furihata. K” beside it someone slammed the door open and they all tumbled through falling into a pile on the floor. Hearing a quiet chuckle they all looked up from where they were sprawled and into warm brown eyes. There was Furi, sitting propped up in bed sling and all.

“Hey guys, sorry to have worried you..”he said with a small smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Everyone just stared at him for a good minute, feeling themselves relax at seeing him sitting up and conscious. He had been cleaned up as his injuries were treated earlier and already looked much better then he had when he arrived at the courts. Momoi, being on top of the pile was the first to move. She jumped up and quickly scurried around to the right side of the bed where she then gently wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to her chest. Placing a soft kiss on the top of his head, she buried her face in his hair.

“You had us so worried...”she mumbled

Closing his eyes Furi let himself relax against Momoi, bringing up his good arm he wrapped it around her waist and gave her a light squeeze, once he heard the others start to get up he let go of her, starting to lean back again. Feeling him begin to pull back, Momoi released him and moved so that she was right beside the top of the bed so that the others could reach him.

Once everyone had gotten themselves off the floor, they started approaching the bed a couple at a time, always giving hugs, and some giving small gifts. Midorima and Takao were first, they went around the left side of the bed and gave Furi his lucky item, followed by Kise and Kasamatsu (who had to pry Kise off of Furi's lap so that others could get through). Himuro and Murasakibara came next with a basket of treats to munch on and when Kuroko, Kagami, and Aomine came next, Kuroko handed him a book before jabbing the two power forwards in the ribs for bickering again which drew a small chuckle out of Furi. Last came Kiyoshi, who was convinced to take the chair by the bed and Akashi standing between him and Momoi, gently holding his hand.

Once they had all reassured themselves that Furi was really awake, coherent and that there wasn't going to be any lasting damage, Akashi spoke up addressing the now teary eyed boy.

“Kouki, you talked to the doctor about your recovery already correct?”

Wiping at his eyes with his good hand, Furi nodded before responding.

“Yea, getting around the house might be a bit troublesome by myself once I get home but I'm sure I'll be able to manage.” he said while staring at the ceiling already going over what routine's he'd have to change once he was released.

Everyone just stared at Furi in silence after his statement feeling just a little confused. His parents and his brother were home weren't they? Kise ended up being the one to voice their confusion to the brunette in the bed.

“Ehhh? But Furihatacchi, you're not alone!” he exclaimed, prompting a sigh and a light smack to the head from Kasamatsu.

“What he means, is you have your family at home to help out don't you?” he clarified.

At that Furi started fidgeting, not really looking anyone in the eye.

“Umm, actually...” he started before trailing off and staring at his lap.

“Kou-chan?” Takao called worriedly.

Seeing the tenseness in Kouki's shoulders, Akashi gave the hand in his a gentle squeeze. Once he saw his shoulders loosen he felt a squeeze back before Kouki took a breath and began to talk, though he still wasn't looking at anyone.

“My parents are away for the next couple months actually” he said quietly “and my brother went with them. Some of my older relatives are ill and they've gone to help out, so I'm on my own.”

“In that case you're staying with me” Kagami spoke up.

At that Furi's head snapped up to stare at his teammate in shock along with everyone else.

“”W-wh-what?! I can't do that Kagami, I don't want to impose on you.” he said while shaking his head “I can take care of myself.”

“It's not a problem.” he said crossing his arms and meeting Furi's eyes “I live by myself anyway so I have lots of room.”

“I agree with Kagami-kun, you should stay with him while you're recovering Furihata-kun” Kuroko chimed in.

“Not you too Kuroko...” Furi groaned.

Kuroko just gave him a small smile before turning to Kagami.

“If it's alright with you, I'll talk to my mother about staying with you to help out. That way you won't have to worry about everything yourself.” he said.

“Suit yourself.” Kagami shrugged his shoulders, already thinking of the extra groceries he'd have to buy to feed the extra people.

“Ahh, you're so lucky Furihata-kun and you Kuroko. You get to enjoy Taiga's cooking.” Himuro said with a slight pout on his face.

“Kaga-chin can cook?” Murasakibara rumbled from behind his snacks.

“Aww, Shin-chan and I want to taste Kagami's cooking and help look after Kou-chan too! Right Shin-chan?” Takao asked looking over at Midorima.

“Speak for yourself Takao, I'm quite content not knowing the taste of Kagami's cooking.” he said, not confirming or denying the claim of wanting to help take care of Furihata.

“Oi, if that's the case make me bento from now on Kagami.” Aomine drawled.

“That's quite a talent to have Kagamin, do you give lessons?” Momoi asked, sounding very interested.

“No fair! Kagamicchi, and Kurokocchi will get to monopolize Furihatacchi this way!” Kise complained causing Kasamatsu to elbow him in the stomach.

“Stop complaining, we're trying to work out what's best for Furihata” he growled.

While everyone else was arguing about who Kagami should cook for, and who should be helping out by staying over Akashi and Kiyoshi turned their attention towards the very silent Furihata, and what they saw caught them both off guard.

“Kouki??” Akashi asked concernedly.

The smaller point guard had his head tilted so that his fringe covered his eyes, but both of them could see the tears running down the rest of his face and dripping onto his lap. He gently pulled his hand out of Akashi's and wiped at his eyes before turning to give them a watery smile.

“I'm fine, really it's just...” his breath hitched and he had to close his eyes for a moment to regain his composure before he could continue.

“I love all of you so much, and while I knew you cared for me I never imagined it was to this extent. I'm not a prodigy or the ability to train as hard to almost reach that level like Himuro, I don't have an extra “eye” or an extraordinary ability like Kuroko's misdirection, Kasamatsu-san is a nationally reputed player, Momoi has an amazing analytical ability and even you Kiyoshi-senpai...” he said looking straight at him, not noticing that the noise in the background had stopped “you're one of the uncrowned kings, only really below the Miracles in ability. I don't have anything that could compare to any of you.” he shook his head eyes turning towards his lap one again.

Everyone was silent for a moment before Aomine spoke up.

“You're an idiot.” he stated bluntly.

At that Furi's head snapped up and he glared at him, he opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by Kagami.

“I hate to agree with Ahomine, but I have to this time. You're an idiot.” he said shaking his head.

Furi snapped his mouth shut and scowled at his lap, feeling like they were laughing at him before he felt a gentle hit to the head. Looking up he saw Kasamatsu standing beside him.

“I know it's easy to feel like you have nothing to offer compared to the rest of us, but you really are being an idiot for only looking at the basketball side of things.” he said. Seeing the confused look on Furi's face he continued.

“Who contacts everyone for their schedules? Who sets up street-ball matches and even the occasional study date so we can all get together? Who's always asking how we're feeling, inquiring about illness or injuries?” he asked seriously.

“Furi-chin gives good snack recommendations” Murasakibara mumbled around the treat in his mouth.

“Also skin care and hair care tips” chimed in Himuro and Kise.

“He's helped Shin-chan find a lucky item and gave me advice to relieve the stress on my eyes!” Takao said excitedly.

“He helps me keep tabs on Dai-chan” Momoi said.

“He's given me some good book suggestions when I was looking for something new.” Kuroko said and you could hear the smile in his voice.

“He's always finding new recipe's for me to try too.” Kagami said with a grin.

“You've even helped me organize my schedule to reduce the stress of learning my family's business, school and practices allowing me more free time to come down from Kyoto” Akashi added.

Seeing Furi's eyes widen with each comment and then start to water again Kiyoshi gently ruffled his hair

“You are the reason we can see each other as often as we do, the reason that when we're sick or injured we recover faster, and the person who helps us the most no matter how small the task. Never doubt yourself and where you stand with us.” he said, sounding just as serious as if they were in the middle of a game.

Furi sniffled and wiped at his eyes before giving them all a large grin and nodding his head.

“Alright.” he said. Still sounding slightly choked up he cleared his throat before continuing.

“So, what's going to happen when I get out of here then?” he asked looking around at everyone.

“You'll be staying with Kagamin and Tetsu-kun at Kagamin's apartment.” Momoi was quick to speak up. “Anyone living in the area; so myself, Dai-chan, Takao-kun, Midorin, and Kiyoshi-san, can come by any day after classes and practices have finished if we wish, though if we decide to stay for any meals we need to help with groceries.”

“Alright, that makes sense, but what about those of you who live outside the area?” Furi asked with a frown.

“We can come anytime after mid-week as long as there are no tests or practices to worry about.” Himuro picked up from where Momoi left off.

“We do have to message Taiga first though to give him enough warning, and we can't stay overnight during the week. If we can't make it before the weekend then we'll likely set up call times. Pitching in to help cover groceries for meals when we come is also a given since we'd likely wait until after dinner before heading back.” he added.

“Weekends everyone is going to stay over as long as their schedules are clear. Anyone who stays over though helps prepare meals and helps clean.” Kagami finished. “As for what we'll do, we figure it'll be easier to wait till we all get together to decide.” he shrugged.

“Great, so we just need to know when I'll be released now right?” Furi asked.

“Not quite Furihatacchi.” Kise said.

“There's one more thing we need to know.” added in Midorima.

“Hmm? But I thought that covered everything...” Furi trailed off at seeing the serious looks on everyone's faces.

“Kouki” Akashi called prompting Furi to look at him.

“Who did this to you?” he asked quietly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Furihata finally reveals the cause of his injuries, and a new determination to do something about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so with this chapter everything is up to date!
> 
> I'm slowly getting work done on Chapter 6 so hopefully it'll be up before too long. 
> 
> Until then I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will see you all when I update next!

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

_Flashback_

 

_“Who did this to you?”_

That question caused Furi to inhale sharply and tilt his head so that his fringe again hid his eyes from everyone in the room. He didn't want to tell them, they'd be so upset when they found out who did this, not to mention they'd all blame themselves when they found out just why he was targeted. He knew it wasn't their fault that he was injured, but they were stubborn and considering the condition he was in he highly doubted that they would listen to him.

'Then again, I'm just as stubborn, if not more so then they are.' he thought wryly 'If I wasn't I'd never have really gotten to know everyone, let alone get into this situation and I never would've made it to the courts.'

Closing his eyes he took a deep breath, feeling himself relax. He would tell them, but he would make it clear that they were not to blame themselves. As he exhaled he slowly opened his eyes, feeling firm in his resolve he raised his head to look at the others.

While Furi had been gathering his thoughts together the others had watched on, quietly talking among themselves and bracing for the worst and wondering just how bad the answer to the question was going to be. Akashi and Kiyoshi, already having their suspicions watched on quietly, hoping that they weren't right.

Hearing the soft exhale come from Furi all other conversations were quick to stop and all attention was focused back to the boy on the bed, when he looked up however they were caught off guard by the look of seriousness on his face.

“Furihata?” Kagami called, somewhat unsettled by the look on his teammates face. While he was used to seeing the young man serious at times, there was something different about this look.

“I'll tell you what happened, and who did this but first I want a promise from all of you.” Furi's voice was firm and he made sure to make eye contact with everyone as he spoke.

“No matter what I tell you, you're not allowed to blame yourselves. If you do, Coach has been teaching me how to do her Boston Crab hold and I will personally put each and everyone of you in it once I heal up.” he finished with a grin on his face.

At the threat all the Serin members paled, confused the others quietly asked what he meant and when it was explained they soon paled as well. Looking back at Furi, all of them nodded and mumbled that they promised not to blame themselves. Content with the promises Furi's gaze softened, he really did love this group of basketball idiots and didn't want to see them beat themselves up, which is why the promise was so important to him.

Sighing softly he once again looked around at everyone, stopping once his eyes met with Kiyoshi's. He knew everyone was going to react badly but the ones who would likely be bothered the most would be his teammates, he also knew that the eldest of them was likely to take it the hardest. With that in mind he looked towards the older boy's hands, reaching out and entwining their fingers together once he reached back. Taking a deep breath he once again met with Kiyoshi's eyes and with as firm a voice that he could muster said

“It was Hanamiya and the first string players of Kirisaki Daichi.”

All sound in the room ceased with the exception of the sound of breathing, Furi wanted to look around to gauge everyone's reactions but Kiyoshi needed his focus the most right now. The look on the elder boy's face was heartbreaking, where normally one would see calm brown eyes sparkling with emotion now there was nothing, it was like looking at a blank slate. Not wanting to let him linger too long in his thoughts Furi brought their hands up to his mouth and placed a soft kiss to the back of Kiyoshi's hand, jerking him out of his daze just in time to hear a commotion by the door. Quickly turning to look he wasn't surprised to see Kagami having to be held back by Aomine, what he was surprised at however was seeing Takao blocking Kuroko's way with his hands on his shoulders, with the others standing by if needed.

“Kagami, Kuroko if you rush off now you won't know where to start looking for them.” he deadpanned.

Both boys froze at the sound of Furi's voice before silently walking back towards their spot around the bed, giving Furi a sheepish look before he turned back to Kiyoshi. Looking at the older boy he was pleased to see a small smile on his face but his eyes were still dark, frowning slightly he called out to him.

“Kiyo- no...Teppei...” hearing his given name fall from Furi's lips Kiyoshi looked up at the younger boy in shock. It was rare for Furi to use their given names especially of those older then him, so hearing it from him now gave him a warm feeling taking the place of the cold that had settled in him when he heard the cause of his injuries.

“You better not be going back on your promise about blaming yourself for this.” he threatened. Seeing him pale again and shake his head Furi softened.

“I know I'm in rough shape but I'm fine. I shouldn't have any lasting damage either.” he murmured.

Smiling softly Kiyoshi reached out his free hand to gently cup Furi's face.

“Kouki...” his smiled widened as he felt a shiver run through Furi at the use of his given name and saw him flush slightly.

“I think I speak for all of us here when I say that even if you say you're fine we wish this had never happened to you...the fact that it was someone I know, that our team defeated in a game makes it that much worse. I am confused about something though, as I imagine the others are as well.”

“Hmm? What about?”

“You had all of us promise not to blame ourselves Furihata.” Midorima spoke up. “But with the exception of Serin we've all had little or no contact with them. Though Takao and I played against Kirisaki Daichi, we didn't face their first string.”

“Uhhhh, I ran into Hanamiya in the bathroom during the break of their match against Serin and told him he would lose because he made Tetsu angry actually.” Aomine mentioned, actually sounding somewhat sheepish.

“Dai-chan! You never told me about that!” Momoi exclaimed, glaring at him.

“It was never brought to my attention either Aomine-kun.” Kuroko said softly, narrowing his eyes at his former light.

“Momoi, Kuroko it's alright.” Furi spoke up again before an argument could start. “Hanamiya's twisted, he doesn't even need to interact with you in order to want to destroy you in some way. I don't know how he did it, but he found out that I knew all of you outside of basketball and that it wasn't unusual for me to get together with one or two of you at a time just to hang out.”

He looked at them sadly as he felt his throat close up against the words he still had to say. They were going to be hurt and the last thing Furi wanted to do was cause them pain, but he knew they'd never let him stop here with his explanation. Taking a breath, he forced the words out.

“Besides using me to get back at Kiyoshi and Serin for the loss during the Winter Cup...it was also to get to you....just because....” tearing his hand out of Kiyoshi's he used it to cover his face as he finally choked out “just because I knew you.”

Everyone in the room felt like they had been slapped, but before they could even open their mouths Furi continued suddenly, sounding angry.

“I was in the middle of sending you all a text to let you know I'd be late when they grabbed me from behind. They threw me up against the wall of an alley and smashed my phone too.”

_'Ugh' catching himself on his arms Furi managed to keep his face from hitting the wall. Hearing the sound of breaking plastic he quickly turned around only to come face to face with the first string players of Kirisaki Daichi, seeing Hanamiya grinning at him he looked down just in time to see what was left of his phone get kicked away. He moved away until he felt his back hit the wall when Hanamiya spoke._

_“Well well, what do we have here? A little chihuahua out for a walk on it's own?” he sneered, walking closer to where Furi stood. His teammates quickly filled in any gaps, closing off any escape routes that Furi might've had. Seeing that he wasn't likely going to get out of this unscathed Furi stood up, and even while visibly shaking managed to ask in a steady voice._

_“What do you want Hanamiya?”_

_“Oh look at this! The puppy can bark after all!” he laughed. Making a fist he was quick to bury it in Furi's stomach, causing him to cough and double over before he continued._

_“Puppies shouldn't ask questions, or fight back if they don't want playmates injured in the next tournament.” he said lowly before pulling his hand back and standing up straight._

_“Hmm a certain copy cat would make a good target don't you think? After all, his partner will have graduated by then. Or maybe the pretty pink haired one? She's always running around looking for someone after all. Oh so many choices!” He was laughing as he turned away, so he didn't notice the fist coming at him until the last minute. As it was he managed to avoid the brunt of it though it still clipped his jaw enough to make him stumble._

_All of them stood there in shock for a minute, just processing the fact that this normally timid guy was actually standing straight and glaring at Hanamiya, before two of them grabbed his arms and held him still. Even with that though his gaze never wavered._

_“Don't you touch any of them.” he hissed out from between clenched teeth as Hanamiya straightened himself up again and sauntered forward._

_Once he standing in front of the now restrained Furi he grinned and lashed out with a hard left hook, causing Furi's head to snap to the side. Reaching out and grabbing Furi's hair he pulled his head back around to look at him, surprised when he saw that the glare was still on his face._

_“You know, originally the plan was just to rough you up a little bit and send you on your way as a little message from me, but now...” he hissed, while pulling back on Furi's head until the younger boy gave a small cry “now you've gone and made me very angry, so first I'll break you then; while your little playmates are agonizing over you, I'll break them one by one. Maybe I'll start with the former Kaijo captain? Or maybe the former Teiko ace? Oh! I know, how about the ace to your own team and his shadow? Wouldn't that be wonderful! Maybe the green haired one that tapes his fingers or his little hawk-eyed partner? And of course I can't forget about the purple haired titan or his pretty boy keeper. I'll even break the former emperor!” he laughed._

_“Oh, wait I know the perfect one to start with!” he grinned down at a now struggling Furi “Kiyoshi just got back earlier this month from his surgery didn't he? My it would be a shame if something happened and caused a set back.” he let go of Furi's hair and stepped back._

_At that Furi froze. Kiyoshi was so happy to learn that he'd be able to play at least one more tournament before he graduated after having his surgery that if he lost that chance now it would likely come close to destroying him completely._

_“Buy you know...” he crossed his arms, bringing one hand up and tapping a finger to his chin as if he were thinking about something._

_“If you were to, oh I don't know...just give up right now, then maybe I'd see fit to leave the rest of them alone. At least for a little while.”_

_Breathing deeply Furi looked up at Hanamiya._

_“Three months.” was all he said._

_“What?” Hanamiya frowned._

_“I surrender to you completely right now, and you don't bother any of us for three months.” he was firm in his demands, not cowering before the older boy. Getting to be friends with everyone was bound to rub off one way or another after all._

_“HAHAHAHAHA! You're really serious aren't you?” Hanamiya laughed. “Very well, we won't touch your little playmates for 3 months, but you know, we need some form of entertainment” his grin turned sinister as he snapped his fingers, the members not holding Furi moving he closer at the signal._

_At that Furi smirked._

_“Bring it on.”_

“After that they went to town on me, though I blacked out at one point because I don't remember them dislocating my shoulder. Anyway, when I came to I was up against the alley wall and used it to get back to my feet. I don't really remember much of the walk to the courts either so I can't tell you how far away I was when I was grabbed, all that was really going through my mind at that point was I had to get to you all because you were probably worried about where I was.” he let out a chuckle then. “I did think to myself that you were all likely going to freak out when you saw me once I was close to the courts though.”

Everyone was staring wide-eyed in shock at the boy in the bed and there were more then a few tears being shed from the story. Furi was probably the most gentle out of all them, being the undeniable caretaker especially when any of them were ill or injured; but he was also one of the smallest. The fact that he would go so far, to let himself be beaten so much without fighting back, just to buy them 3 months of peace caught all of them off guard. As timid as he was known to be, no one in that room would ever doubt his bravery, determination, or his feelings when it came to them again.

The spell was broken when Kiyoshi moved, standing up from his chair he gently sat beside Furi on the bed bringing his hands up to frame the smaller boy's face. Gently tilting Furi's face up Kiyoshi softly brought their lips together pouring his love and gratitude into the kiss. Sighing softly Furi closed his eyes and relaxed into it, letting his good arm come up so that he could grip the front of Kiyoshi's shirt.

Breaking the kiss after a few moments, Kiyoshi pulled back just far enough so that he could rest their foreheads together waiting patiently for Furi to open his eyes. Once he saw the now slightly hazy brown eyes open he smiled gently before speaking up.

“I think I speak for all of us when I say thank you” he said softly.

“Yeah, we'll make good use out of these three months.” Kagami grinned.

“Say, how'd you like a couple teeth from them in repayment?” asked Aomine.

Pulling away slightly from Kiyoshi so he could see everyone Furi shook his head.

“Nope, you're going to wait till I've recovered before you go after them.”

“Awww, how come Kou-chan?” pouted Takao.

“Why do you think I'd ask you all to wait?” Furi grinned at them. It was a surprisingly scary look, narrowed eyes glittering with purpose and a grin that was kind of sinister, it sent shivers down everyone's spine. Kasamatsu was the one to recover first.

“Heh, so it's going to be like that huh?” he asked Furi with a smirk of his own.

Everyone else was still looking confused when Akashi spoke up, sounding quite pleased at this turn of events.

“I believe that Kouki would like us to wait so that he can join us. After all he was the one that was injured, I imagine that he would like a chance to pay them back a bit himself.”

Furi nodded. Pulling back from Kiyoshi completely he readjusted himself with Momoi's help so that he was lying back against his pillows comfortably before once again looking to everyone.

“I'm really not a huge fan of violence, but I don't want to be seen as the weak link to all the time, especially since I'm sure there are others out there holding a grudge against at least some of you. I'm also tired of everyone assuming that I'm an easy target all the time just because I'm known to be timid, I'm not afraid of standing up to protect those important to me and I will fight if I need to. I think it's about time that people learned that.”

The others just nodded in agreement, still somewhat in awe of this boy who had come to mean so much to them in just a couple months. Thinking of how he was unsure of where he stood with them earlier they would use this time to assure him of where he stood, and they would also take this opportunity to let people know that he was off limits and that there would be consequences to any who tried to harm him.

The next little while was going over in detail how the next 6 weeks would go, and talking about more lighthearted topics until an nurse stopped by to inform them that visiting hours were over and they all needed to leave for the evening so that Furi could get some rest. Some were about to complain about having to leave until they all noticed Furi yawning, looking as if he were half asleep already. At that sight it was agreed that they would leave and head back to Kagami's for the night since they still had a couple days before classes started up again, they gave their farewells and told Furi that they would be back the next day before seeing themselves out. The last to leave was Akashi who remained by the bed, gently running his hands through Furi's hair as the others left.

Once the last one had left he stopped his ministrations and, as Kiyoshi had done earlier, gently tilted the sleepy boy's head back and proceeded to give him a long, slow kiss. When he pulled back he saw hazy eyes staring at him, smiling softly he gently brushed his hair back.

“Get some rest, we'll all be here when you wake up in the morning.” he murmured softly before heading to the door.

Giving a sleepy smile Furi nodded and settled back more comfortably against his pillows.

'As much as it sucks being hurt, maybe the next month or so won't be so bad after all' he thought, feeling better about where he stood with everyone he let the lure of sleep take him, content that he'd see everyone again when his eyes opened.


End file.
